Fred Lebow

The New York City Marathon, taking place this Sunday, November 6th, is the world’s largest marathon, and this year it will bring together more than 50,000 runners from all over the world, plus hundreds of thousands of spectators. It wasn’t always this way, though. Started by the New York Road Runners Club in 1970, the race began as a few loops around Central Park with just over 100 runners. But the passion of its founders, coupled with the spirit of the city, grew the marathon into an event that generates $415 million for New York. In honor of the upcoming 2016 Marathon, 6sqft is taking a look back at the history of the race, its greatest moments, and what’s in store for this year.